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<\/p>\nBy Christopher David<\/p>\n
Joining the ranks of that handful of bands able to surpass the five-decade mark, hard rock legends Scorpions brought a tight and all-too-short setlist to Chicago\u2019s Allstate Arena on Thursday night.<\/p>\n
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Openers Thundermother brought a killer set of high octane, classic rock and proved a stellar opener who could headline in their own right, and their reception form the sold-out crowd was equally impressive; look no further than the multitude of Thundermother shirts throughout the crowd for the rest of the night.<\/p>\n
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The crowd was electric by the time the quintet from Hanover, Germany, hit the stage to \u201cGas in the Tank,\u201d the opener from new album Rock Believer, <\/em>the first of several forays into new material, which speaks to the band\u2019s longevity; while many bands might consider having nothing to prove by releasing new material, the Scorpions have held a firmly rooted place in the world of hard rock and metal for many years and their dedication to staying fresh was reflected in spades, in part thanks to the ungodly drum skills of the great Mikkey Dee, a welcome and perfect fit for the band.\u00a0 Few drum solos can rile a crowd as Dee\u2019s can, and he knew it, all smiles from start to finish before guitarists Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs came charging back onstage for the timeless \u201cBlackout.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Vocalist Klaus Meine, clearly having the time of his life, dedicated new track \u201cPeacemaker\u201d and the politically-charged power ballad \u201cWind of Change\u201d to the people of Ukraine, adding a poignancy to both pleas for global justice, but for the most part, the night belonged to Schenker and Jabs, whose twin-guitar attack ranks amongst the best and longest running partnerships in rock; \u201cCoast to Coast\u201d was monstrous and reminded everyone of how arena rock should be done, and old-school MTV hits from the band\u2019s \u201880s heyday like \u201cTease Me Please Me\u201d and \u201cBig City Nights\u201d had the entire place singing along.<\/p>\n If anything, the set went by way too fast, particularly given the absence of Whitesnake (who were supposed to have been a part of this tour until just a few weeks ago), but of course, the band could have played as long as they wanted and it still wouldn\u2019t have been enough for the fans who were on their feet from start to finish\u2014such as it is for a band with five decades of material under their belt.<\/p>\n For more on the Scorpions, click here<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Scorpions-All-State-Arena-Rosemont-Chicago-09-01-12-35-1024x1024.jpg\")
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